Forms: 1 ʓielpan, ʓelpan, ʓilpan, ʓylpan, 2–5 ȝelpe, 4–7 yelpe, (3 ȝælpe, ȝeolp, ȝeilp, ȝulp, Orm. ȝellpenn, 4 ȝilpe, 5 yilp, 7 yealp), 3– yelp. Pa. t. 1 ʓealp, pl. ʓulpon, 3 ȝ(e)alp, yelp, pl. ȝulpe, 4 yalp; 4 ȝolped, 6 yalpid, Sc. ȝelpit, 4– yelped. Pa. pple. 1 ʓolpen, 4 y-yolpe; 4– yelped. [OE. ʓielpan, etc., = MHG. gelfen :— *galpjan, f. root represented by OS. galpôn to cry aloud, boast, LG. galpen to croak, MG. galpen to bark, yelp, MHG. galf, MG. galp loud cry, barking, Sw. dial. galpa to cry (of certain birds). Cf. GALP, GAUP, yalp, YAWP.]
I. † 1. intr. To boast, speak vaingloriously. Const. of (= OE. gen.). Obs.
Beowulf, 2583. Hreðsiʓora ne ʓealp goldwine Ʒeata.
c. 888. Ælfred, Boeth., xiv. § 1. Ʒif þu ʓilpan wille, ʓilp Godes.
a. 1000. Daniel, 714. Ða wearð bliðemod burʓa aldor, ʓealp gramlice gode on andan.
c. 1200. Ormin, 2042. Þuss mihhte ȝho full modiȝliȝ Off hire sinne ȝellpenn.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 128. [Heo] gelstreð, ase þe uox deð, & ȝelpeð of hore god.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1299. Þu ȝeolpest of seolliche wisdome, Þu nustest wanene he þe come.
1340. Ayenb., 208. Þe fariseu þet yalp ine his benes and onworþede þane pubblycan.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 694. Ne schaltou by þat tyme noþyng ȝilpe of þy doynge here.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt’s T., 1380. I kepe noght of armes for to yelpe, Ne I ne axe nat to-morwe to have victorie.
c. 1425. Cast. Persev., 2865, in Macro Plays, 162. Sum bote of bale þou me brewe, Þat I may of þee ȝelpe.
† b. refl. in same sense. Obs.
1340. Ayenb., 79. Huanne hi ham yelpeþ oþer hi ham prodeþ.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 97. He hath trewly supposed That he him may of nothing yelpe, Bot if [etc.].
† c. Const. clause. Obs.
c. 883. Ælfred, Boeth., xiv. § 1. Hwæðer þu dyrre ʓilpan þæt hiora fæʓernes þin sie?
a. 1023. Wulfstan, Hom., xvi. (1883), 99. Þa wende he þæt hit godes aʓen wære; and se deofles man ʓealp þæt he eac swa wære.
c. 1205. Lay., 26835. Þu ȝulpe biforen þan kaisere Þat þu me woldest a-quellen.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 971. Ac ȝet þu ȝelpst of þine songe Þat þu canst ȝolle wroþe & stronge.
c. 1275. Passion of our Lord, 330, in O. E. Misc., 46. He yelp to-vore vs alle þat he is vre king.
c. 1400. Death of Robin Lyth, 82, in Ritson, Anc. Songs (1877), 74. Now xalt thu never yelpe, Wrennok, At ale ne at wyn, That thu hast slawe goode Robyn.
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 53. Bot how þay deden after, y nylt not ȝelpe.
II. † 2. To lift up one’s voice; to cry aloud; to sing loud or on a high note. Obs.
Cf. the OE. sense (with gen.) ‘to applaud, praise.’
c. 1450. St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 4697. Gude fadir,… To þe we crye and ȝelpe.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xii. 422. Brek outt youre voce, let se as ye yelp.
1549. Compl. Scot., vi. 39. The lyntquhit sang cuntirpoint quhen the osȝil ȝelpit.
† b. trans. To call out, utter. Obs.
c. 1400. Laud Troy Bk., 13520. And he mȝzt not him selff helpe; His sorwe coude he to no man ȝelpe.
3. intr. To utter a yelp or yelps: said of dogs and related animals, and certain birds (see quots.).
1553. M. Wood, trans. Gardiner’s True Obed., To Rdr. A v. A rash bethlem brained hound,… rushing he careth not which wai, so he be yelpyng.
1593. Peele, Hon. Garter, C 3 b. Enuy will bite, or snarle and barke at least, As dogs against the Moone that yelpe in vayne.
1596. W. Smith, Chloris, xiii. A lust-led Satyre hauing hir in chace Which after hir, about the fields did yelpe.
1688. Holme, Armoury, II. 134/2. A Dog Barketh, & Baugheth, being smitten Yelpeth.
1706. E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 32. Oft does he make the poor Tars yelp and run about, like Dogs in a Church, under the Correction of a Sexton.
1708. Derham, in Phil. Trans., XXVI. 124. April 1, the Jynx first yelped here.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 119, ¶ 5. Compassion once obliged me to … chide off a dog that yelped at his heels.
1845. Darwin, Voy. Nat., vii. (1879), 135. The jaguar, when wandering about at night, is much tormented by the foxes yelping as they follow him.
1847. Tennyson, Princess, VII. 196. Let the wild Lean-headed Eagles yelp alone.
1848. in ‘F. Forester,’ Field Sports, II. 326. The gobblers continued yelping in answer to the female, which all this time remained on the fence.
1865. Dickens, Mut. Fr., III. xi. A scholastic huntsman clad for the field, with his fresh pack yelping and barking around him.
1879. J. Burroughs, Locusts & Wild H. (1884), 56. [The fledgling] left the nest and clung to the … tree, and yelped and piped for an hour.
fig. 1577. Grange, Golden Aphrod., G iv b. To Veronas well he hies whose wante of bloud doth yelpe.
1885. Tennyson, Balin & Balan, 314. That chain’d rage, which ever yelpt within.
4. fig. To complain, whine.
1706. Hearne, Collect., 16 Sept. (O.H.S.), I. 288. ’T will make ye Whig Pamphlettiers yelp.
1792. Alex. Wilson, Watty & Meg, x. Night and day she’s ever yelpin, Wi’ the weans she ne’er can gree.
1807. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1830), III. 469. The nominations have accordingly furnished something to yelp on.
1881. Besant & Rice, Chapl. Fleet, II. xx. 167. I might, if I pleased, yelp and cry for my lord and his precious friend, Sir Miles Lackington.
5. trans. a. To utter with a loud cry; to express by yelping or in a yelping tone.
a. 1654. W. Price, in C. Wase, Gratius’ Cyneget., Illustr. 70. There lurks the pride o’ th’ woods, the Lyon fell, At whose decease our troops [of hounds] shall yelpe a knell.
a. 1704. T. Brown, trans. Fresny’s Amusem., iii. (1709), 17. Another Son of a Whore yelps [ed. 1700 yells] louder than Homer’s Stentor, Two a groat, and Four for Six-pence Mackerel.
1828. Examiner, 98/1. Lord Ellenborough ‘gave tongue’ on Monday, and yelped an explanation most melodiously.
1865. Parkman, Champlain, x. (1875), 311. On their arrival, they … yelped consternation at the sharp explosion of the arquebuse.
b. To bring into some condition by yelping.
1711. Budgell, Spect., No. 116, ¶ 6. A raw Dog … might have yelped his Heart out, without being taken notice of.
